Three state champions were crowned in Illinois girls high school soccer during the IHSA state finals in Naperville.
Here’s a look at how it all unfolded.
Class 1A: Father McGivney 3, Pleasant Plains 0
The Father McGivney Catholic Griffins, in their first-ever state tournament, defeated the Lady Cardinals of Pleasant Plains 3-0 in the 1A state final. A dominant performance by the Griffins helped deliver the school their first state championship.
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Freshman Kinley Dettmers got things going in the 18th minute with her second goal of the tournament before Arkansas State recruit Natalie Beck added insurance from the penalty spot in the 25th minute. Mira Ahlvers delivered a goal in the 61st minute to pad the lead in the second half, helping to knock off a previously undefeated Lady Cardinal team.
The Griffins hail from Glen Carbon in the Metro East suburbs of St. Louis. The Lady Cardinals, located west of Springfield, had two state tournaments on their resume prior to this year, finishing third in Class 1A in 2023. The runner-up finish is their best performance ever at a state tournament in girls soccer.
More from our sister paper: Leach, Pleasant Plains to play for gold following blowout win in semis
Class 2A: Crystal Lake Central 3, Morton 1
Morton’s bid for a first state title was denied by Crystal Lake Central and their star, Addison Shaffer, set to go to Loyola Chicago to continue her playing career.
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Shaffer gave the Tigers the lead with a 30th-minute goal in which she got past Potter goalkeeper Adly Hilt and maneuvered around a group of Morton defenders to fire it in the right corner of the net. Morton responded with a goal off a corner kick by Izzy Ripka in the 65th minute.
But after Shaffer was knocked down in the box shortly thereafter, she booted through a penalty kick in the 66th minute. Ella Bechler put the icing on the cake for the Tigers with a long-range goal in the 90th minute as time expired.
Morton (26-2-1), competing in its very first state tournament, had only a single loss to Peoria Notre Dame on the year. Crystal Lake Central has now won its second state title in three years, also winning the 2A crown in 2024.
More: Crystal Lake Central defeats Morton for IHSA girls soccer state title
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Class 3A: New Trier 2, Naperville Central 1
In a battle between two teams considered among the best in the United States, New Trier won their eighth state title, thanks to a 71st minute goal by Brooke Zabel off of a corner kick.
Addy Randall, headed to Northwestern next year, delivered a 36th-minute goal to give the Trevians an early lead over the Redhawks. The Redhawks equalized in the 69th minute when Malia Shen fired a long-range strike past Penn State-bound junior goalkeeper Annie Fowler. A few minutes earlier, Naperville Central junior Emerson Burke missed a penalty kick following a handball in the box.
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Zabel’s goal was the winner with less than 10 minutes left.
New Trier tied St. Charles East with eight state titles Saturday night. Naperville Central hadn’t been to a state tournament in 30 years, finishing second in 1994 and 1995 before Saturday’s runner-up performance.
This article originally appeared on Journal Star: IHSA soccer: Best Illinois high school teams win championships
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